What if the crap really does hit the giant rotating blade? Are we going to hope the stores just stay open? Is that a realistic option for the prepper community? We’ve all seen the pictures from Katrina and other famous Headline making disaster areas… You know the ones I’m talking about, where the sheeple are seen standing quietly and orderly in line for the few remaining resources. Right? I mean come on, we’re all brothers and we’ll share and share a like if there ever are supply shortages for some strange reason…

   Sound unrealistic, I agree! Now hear this, I WILL do my best to help my neighbors and extended family! I imagine that I’m not alone in this… I stock up on the things that I know we’ll need for sure but is that enough? Maybe? Honestly probably not, I’m going to forget something and as usual it won’t be some small thing that my girls or I will easily live without… We have to have a backup plan to at least attempt to cover for any shortfalls or short sightedness!

   Enter, ”BARTER GOODS” - those supplies of useful, tangible assets that might just fill the gap for our forgetfulness. We’re just talking here, so don’t get all upset if I don’t mention something that you happen to think is indispensable, you’re probably 100% correct! I personally know I don’t have this area all figured out so step up to the plate and fill in the blanks I’ve missed…

   It’s possible that someone reading this is unfamiliar with this whole barter goods concept. Don’t feel out of place, this prepping is a broad topic to be sure! I’d even venture to say you might already have thought about stuff along these lines but call them something different than I do… These really are nothing more than goods(items) that we would be willing to trade someone for something else we were in need of… Simple concept but it’s not easy to make an exhaustive list of items that we remembered but we think others will have likely overlooked…

   Let’s just go over a few possibilities and as usual we’ll each have to make up our own minds what to actually do! I couldn’t begin to cover everything that might qualify as a barter item so remember this isn’t an exhaustive list but only one to get everyone thinking…

• Common Caliber Ammunition

• Sewing Supplies

• Repair supplies

• Second hand tennis shoes and/or work boots

• Heavy duty gloves

• Toilet Paper

• Feminine Products

• Strike anywhere matches

• Junk Silver Coins

• Batteries, variety

• Food supplies, beyond your families needs…

• Cigarette lighters

• Candles

• Various petro fuels, beyond your families needs…

• Flashlights

• Radio receivers (AM radios)

• Cold weather gear

• Cook stoves

• Camping Coolers

• Buckets

• Tarps

• Plastic bags

• Sheet Plastic

• Firewood

• Kerosene heaters
  

   Alright, this is just the initial 25 items that came to my mind… I’ve seen lists that numbered easily into the hundreds. I personally like to watch for sales. I’ll usually spot things after a holiday and I frequent garage sales in season also. If you start to look at things with a critical eye, you will surely see items that could fit this category.

   These things aren’t suppose to be your first line gear. They should be something that would work in a pinch for the completely unprepared neighbor up the street. I don’t recommend buying things just to have them but with the idea of tradability or even charity. If you want to open a general store after the world finally comes to an end than more power to you. Plan accordingly, I know some folks that would be happy to pull security duty, for a price…

   I always liked the parts of survivalist fiction were the author or film maker describe “Barter Town” scenarios. Think movies like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Waterworld. Wait, I didn’t say these were good movies, they weren’t but I just like the parts were there is commerce commencing in the post apocalypse world… Probably a better example would be the chapter from “Patriots”, where the retreaters went to the “Barter Faire”… I guess its just the business man in me to think this way. There will always be a need to fill when resources are short. I don’t advocate gauging your fellow man but only to be in a position to do some trading for the things we missed in our own preps.

   Hopefully, this post will get your mind turning in the right direction. For many of us this isn’t a knew concept but it might deserve a fresh look at those items you put back years ago. These things might even need to be rotated? None of us needs to go running out just to buy barter goods but if you keep your eyes peeled these things will present themselves. Someday, maybe even one day soon, we might all be very thankful to have the extra options that these trade goods could provide?

Prepper